1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to data processing and in particular to a data processing system, method and program product that utilize a hierarchical conceptual framework to model an environment containing a collection of items.
2. Description of the Related Art
Affordable technology, and in particular the availability of powerful, commercially affordable computer systems and associated data storage, has revolutionized business practices and management over the preceding decades. This revolution has affected all aspects of business, including data management in accounting, payroll and human resources systems; business communication; business forecasting and market modeling; warehouse, supply chain and product distribution management; and facility management.
The above-referenced patents represent a significant advance in facility management by disclosing a software tool (referred to herein as SiteVu) that can be utilized not only for general site planning of an organization's physical plant, but also to specifically record, maintain and view the placement of, and information of interest associated with, specific physical assets within the physical plant. SiteVu provides these features through a hierarchical conceptual framework that enables a user to intuitively create and maintain a detailed data model of an organization's physical assets.
Although SiteVu has definite applicability to the design and management of telecommunications field sites as discussed above, the present invention recognizes that its use is by no means limited to such applications. Rather, the hierarchical conceptual framework employed by SiteVu is broadly applicable to the creation, display and management of a collection of items in a modeled environment.